my burg

  Bible reading for May 12 -- 13 May 12 -- Isaiah 10 and James 4 May 13 -- Isaiah 11-12 and James 5 ================    "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:1-2) ASSYRIA, A TOOL (ch 10) . Complete and total judgment would come upon Assyria for their arrogance and pride. The Assyrians thought they were a mighty people, when in fact they were merely a tool in the hand of the Lord, like an axe (v 15). And when the Lord was finished bringing chastisement upon his people he would dispose of that tool. As in other times of Israel's history, there would be a remnant preserved, and a regathering of his people from exile. THE BRANCH (ch 11) . At the center of God's purposes for Judah and Israel, and all the nations, is the Messiah. ...

  Bible reading for May 10 -- 11 May 10 -- Isaiah 8 and James 2 May 11 -- Isaiah 9 and James 3 ================    "To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn." (Isaiah 8:20) THE PROPHET'S SON (ch 8). Isaiah names his child "Swift-booty-speedy-prey", which refers to the speed of the prey (Judah) in evading the predator (Assyria). This child is not the same virgin-born child mentioned in chapter 7, who is "Immanuel" (v 8; 7:14). The Assyrian army will fail in its attempt to capture Jerusalem and gain hold of Judah (vv 9-10). Meanwhile, many Jews are fearful and panicking, trying to uncover political conspiracies (such as between neighboring nations and Assyria) and seeking information by occult means. They want a political or military solution -- or a situation they can control -- rather than deal with their real problem, which is spiritual and moral (vv 11-22). The people are ca...

Bible reading for Nov 23.  1 Chronicles 18. "So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people." (18:14)  WHAT'S WRONG WITH THANKSGIVING? Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. It's so satisfying to have an entire day just to give thanks to the Lord and to enjoy his many blessings of family, friends, and good food. Sadly, this year due to the pandemic many will not be gathering in person with family and loved ones. But every year the sad problem with Thanksgiving remains the same -- the joy and gratitude don't last for very long! It's a precious, short period of time when we are all together, thankful to God, satisfied, content, getting along with each other. For a brief moment all seems right with the world! For a brief moment... and then the squabbling returns, the complaints, the discontent, and selfishness and greed and unhappiness. For a moment -- for some briefer, for some longer -- we see how happ...

Bible reading for weekend of Nov 21-22.  1 Chronicles 16-17 "Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;  make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to him; sing praises to him;  tell of all his wondrous works!" (16:8-9)  SING TO THE LORD! (ch 16) David had a heart for the honor of God. Early in his reign he appointed singers and musicians to serve in the temple courts (then, the tabernacle), so that the truth about God would be heard by all who entered the temple precinct to worship. The first songs listed in this chapter are David's compositions, Psalm 105 (the first half) and Psalm 96, along with an oft-sung refrain, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 106:1; cf Psalm 136). Singing the Psalms in the temple court would accomplish a number of purposes. First, it was a way the gathered worshipers could praise God and give him thanks (Heb 13:15). It was also a way of reminding each person of the tru...

Bible reading for Nov 20.  1 Chronicles 15. "So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres." (15:28)  CELEBRATION.  With great joy the Jews are bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Consecration came first (vv 1-14), then celebration (vv 15-28). David was now more careful to walk with God in the way God directs. Consecration means to be set apart for the Lord, cleansed and separated for his will and purposes.  But this is not the only or even the final purpose. Rather, it is the worship and enjoyment of God to his glory. The Levites designated musicians and singers to play a variety of instruments -- harps, lyres, cymbals, horns, and trumpets -- to celebrate and "raise the sounds of joy" (v 16). David wrote in Psalm 16, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures fo...

B ible reading for Nov 19.  1 Chronicles 13-14. "And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had." (13:14) BLESSING UPON DAVID.  The Chronicler highlights King David's love for the Lord and for worship in Jerusalem. Chronicles contains more details about this than are found in the parallel passages in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. Chronicles and Kings are like the synoptic gospels in the NT (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in that much of the same history is covered, but with some different emphases and variations in the reporting of the events. Variations in place names, and variant spellings of proper names, were normal. The names of the sons born to David in Jerusalem are listed in 14:4-5, numbering thirteen. That's two more than listed in 2 Sam 5:14. For some reason Elpelet and Nogah are not listed in the earlier Samuel account. These two chapters say that God's blessin...